What is the best Warhammer 40k Army for Beginners? Pilot Episode.

In this pilot episode of "Off The Table" we discuss the best place to get started with Warhammer 40k for beginners.
What advice would you give to a beginner?
WE NEED YOUR HELP
We would love your feedback on this style of show and if this type of content is valuable and enjoyable then we will do more as it was great fun to record.
If you want to learn to play with Vanguard Tactics then check out our start playing course. vanguardtactic...

[@cylondorado4582]

I always liked the idea in fighting games that it’s better to pick a character you like and spend more time figuring them out, as opposed to picking a simpler character first. The time you spend on the simpler character could have gone into figuring out the one you really wanted to play. Except it’s worse in Warhammer, since in fighting games you don’t have to spend a lot of money to switch characters.

[@Thepaintingdungeon]

Yep. A big part of that is buying something you won't mind painting a ton of. That and how an army play are huge

[@spacechannelfiver]

@@Thepaintingdungeon I want an army of Chun Li

[@Evohunter7]

This is why I play Death Guard and Iron Hands. Vorx and Kardan Stronos are bloody fantastic characters.

[@Auronkast]

My first Tekken(rip Tekken) character was Kazuya. I lewrned everything on him and Heihachi. It was definitely a mistake and it could have been much easier but no one could convince me and I did learn to ewgf and move in time.

[@jamesbgood25]

I agree but it probably doesn't help I tend to lean into those 'beginner friendly' characters with strong neutrals. It's relative tho because I main Ken in Smash Bros. My background is more traditional fighters so once I worked on my fundies, it was a smooth transition. I'd say the only time I jumped straight into a difficult character was Ivy in Soul Caliber 2. Completely 40k related I know lol

[@Luzarioth]

I am a new Player and all my Friends are playing for like 5-6 Editions Competetivly. After every game I ask them: "What did I wrong ?" The Post Game Analisys from them is REALLY Helpfull, talking me through both the things I did well, things that was a mistake and things I could have done.

[@ProxyHammer1]

Aeldari. Throws you right into the fire and teaches you hard lessons you won't forget!

[@MrScumsen]

Not when we learn from you how to use them😊

[@ProxyHammer1]

@@MrScumsen :D My pleasure!

[@piotrjeske4599]

Yeah those tough lessons of 2000pts of IW can't kill my single Falcon or with 36 starcanons l am killing 78 meq per turn, or more modern my single unit of reapers kills half the opponent army with chain bursts procing, 5 flyers being unhitable in melee and shoting or a WK killing 1/3 of opposing army on overwatch . Those toughess of lessons.

[@ProxyHammer1]

@@piotrjeske4599 Sounds like a case of bad touch you never got over.

[@revenant7734]

@@piotrjeske4599did you last play in 8th edition? Eldar aren’t OP at all right now.

[@MrTrubow]

I really enjoyed this, and hope you continue making these! Having a show like this that focuses on the gameplay aspect of the hobby would be really useful for someone like myself who is getting back in to it after a good few years (last edition I played was 5th) so having you guys give advice/tips like this is invaluable to me personally.

[@lord17c]

great episode. Keep it up. love the info. If I could go back, 20 years, to when I started, I'd tell myself to never sell my armies.

[@bhCounterCulture]

So true

[@TonyCajefe-x3u]

Not a new player but this discussion is good. And I can use this for those who wants to play 40k in my place. More episodes please...

[@superspecky4eyes]

I've never played 40k but I am currently starting an Ork army. I'm currently at 1000pts.

[@Revmmando]

Exactly the same! Have about 1000 points of Orks painted with 200 points left to do.

[@Thepaintingdungeon]

@@superspecky4eyes welcome to the hobby!

[@superspecky4eyes]

@@Thepaintingdungeon Thanks mate, although I have been painting warhammer models on and off since the early 1990s. So not a complete noob. 😁

[@superspecky4eyes]

@@Revmmando What's in your list? Here's mine; 10 x Boyz with a Warboss 3 x Meganobz with Ghaz 3 x Killa Kanz 2 x Deff Dreads Beastboss on Squigasaur

[@Revmmando]

@@superspecky4eyes My 1000 point list is: 1 xWarboss in MA (Leading Meganobz) 1 x Warboss (Leading Nobz) 20 x Boyz 10 x Nobz 6 x Meganobz 1 x Gretchin 3 x Killa Kans 1 x Trukk

[@vennominon22]

My first army is chaos daemons and now i'm like 15k points deep having fun with them!!!

[@jacobhumphreys493]

Great Video Guys!! As a brand new player that is still painting and collecting ( I haven’t had an opportunity to actually play yet) I really appreciate your insight. I chose Necrons because I absolutely love the lore and the models are very cool to me.

[@chimpy666]

I stopped 25 years ago and started again this year with World eaters no idea if they’re hard to play I just love Angron

[@jacobhumphreys493]

The Angron model is awesome!

[@element1777]

As a world eater player, I know very little 40k lore, I just saw a army that looks very cool with chain axes, demons, and blood shed. knew the Blood for the Blood God meme and said "time to fuck around and find out" They are quite fun and despite having almost 0 shooting, it made me focus alot of my positioning and has helped me win 2nd place in a local league!

[@chimpy666]

@@element1777 This I need to learn, how like Eight bound are houses and how with little shooting get into combat

[@element1777]

@@chimpy666 I love 8Bound but I dont run alot of then, I like that aura they give and use usually 1 or 2 3man groups and keep them near the big combat spots. I use EX8bound alot more since that my only real "anti-tank" that I have besides Angron. Which sometimes doesnt even do alot, he is there to make my enemy sweat and try to play around him. I had him go 4 rounds sitting in full cover near the final objective in supply drop, just daring my opponent to try and touch it. he spent all game playing far away bc he was scared of a charge that never happened lol

[@derricksmith8354]

I started with Tau, which was tough but has been rewarding through the editions. I also picked up Aeldari, which like Steven said, the wraith units are great to learn the game with and have made me a better player when I go back to Tau.

[@horatiusromanus]

Yes, I would still pick the Imperial Guard. The reason to collect them from 4th Edition still rings true to me, "In a galaxy full of superhuman soldiers, ancient psychic races, and alien technology, the Imperial Guard are just humans." I like the lasgun and bayonet with a little bit of guts behind it as an aesthetic.

[@rickdriver0]

Love this format, keep it up please 🤞🏻

[@calebscorner6428]

When I started playing last year, my friends suggested picking a faction I was interested in and listening to an audiobook. I liked the look of Black Templars so I listened to Helreachs and fell in love. I'm still learning and making mistakes, but I loved every aspect of the hobby so far.

[@Sephirothurl]

really loved this perspective just started been playing space marines i love everything about warhammer

[@MarmadukeRupe]

I think your Angron example is why the change to cult ambush for Genestealer Cults (new player of) is good because you can learn how to maximise the army rule, without relying on your dice being hot.

[@alexrowson-brown6568]

Me a beginner painter Doesn’t even use paint… just spray can gold and then some pens for colour Easy to acquire a full army as less boxes needed due to high point costs Easy to learn, all spears, all relatively the same stats and as you said it’s forgiving

[@arachnon4785]

My first army was orks because i loved the ramshackled look of trukks and the deff dread looked awesome

[@michaelmcgreevy8969]

Love you guys. We need a master class on how to afford the hobby. One on getting your partners support of you playing the hobby.

[@WardenOfTerra]

Partner's support? The fact you're asking strangers that question proves to me that is an issue with you. If you need to acquire your partner's 'emotional support' or whatever when it comes to little plastic men when you are the one that financially pays for it, then you should get some self-respect and just leave.

[@alexrowson-brown6568]

@@WardenOfTerraI can afford to purchase the models and I can build them but I require the support to paint them. I generally really dislike painting as my fine motor skill is pretty bad, I just don’t have that control to be neat and make things look good, nor do I understand how to use colour which never really gets addressed I can’t find any videos to really learn from and go into detail of each bit. My wife however does enjoy art and drawing and painting but even then won’t help me on the models 😂 Lucky she has an uncle who makes dioramas and is pretty good but he has no time and might take a couple of years before my tau come back painted 😂

[@michaelmcgreevy8969]

It was a joke. ​@@WardenOfTerra

[@reiser_175]

I started out by playing necrons in 9th. Just the indomitous box and combat patrol. This edition i’ve really enjoyed votann. I always played dwarfs in fantasy games so I was excited when they came out. I really enjoy their play style and tools. I’ve felt like votann are pretty competitive with every faction and there’s been very few games I really felt like my loses were just because their army was better

[@pavelech2565]

I salute you my fellow necron and votann player!

[@skatman3278]

I went Grey Knights as my first army in 40k since the days of Praetorian Guard - probably 25 ish years. Very pleased with them and I would 100% make the same choice again. I know they're supposed to be difficult to play, but vs other new people, they're really good for the same reasons as Custodes, except you get a few more models on a table. Edit: I made this comment like 30 seconds before you said about Grey Knights lol

[@Markus-h3w]

this was super. great talk. great topic. great insights. my first "army" was 27 years ago. some eldar guardians and a walker. i like the idea of spamming the same units so you get used to the datasheet. now i have a space marine army, my own chapter. so i kinda can get around this "if you play this chapter your marines have to be blue, green, red, whatever" my idea with my chapter is, that all of my models a "clones" and if i put a, lets say mephiston, on a battlefield, it is not the real mephiston, it is a gene-copy of that character. my other 40k army is a huge dkok army from forgeworld. i brought that army to get more into realistic painting. those masterclass books from forgeworld were very helpful back in the days.

[@Koan_zone]

Go Votann. Classic and honest Warhammer. ROCK AND STONE

[@kevincrean4143]

For Kahl!

[@Syst3m04]

I loathe the Votaan, I have a completely irrational hate for that army 😂

[@Koan_zone]

@@Syst3m04 but, we are too short to hate!

[@Syst3m04]

@ I literally cannot stand them, I don’t have a reason, I mostly see them as Ice Planet Legos, but yeah, I hate them 🤷‍♂️😅

[@inquisitorsneed2]

​@@Syst3m04agreed! They took everything cool with dwarfs and threw it out the window

[@Koolmees12]

100% agree with going with what first grabs you. I love Tyberos and found a great 3rd party model to proxy as Calgar. I now really like the flexibility of my chapter. I've bought characters from different chapters and paint them as Carcharodons. My Tor Garadon and Uriel Ventris are personal favourites. I got the Dark Angels Christmas box and can't wait to get them themed into my army so i can play that style. My Deathwing Knights will be Great Whites for instance.

[@cetx]

Great discussion. For a new player, I think the easiest in-road is Combat Patrol, not because it's a good product but just because it's a reasonable little army with a limited scope. It's hard to feel overwhelmed when faced with building and painting a Combat Patrol, and you don't have to worry about an army list. You still have to learn the game, so for the first few games with a new player I intentionally ignore Stratagems, and I only bring up detachment special rules when they provide an obvious bonus during the game. It's a little inconsistent, but most new players get more excited to learn about army special rules and detachment rules after they get a taste of what those rules can do for them.

[@robhicks81]

Most Custodes lists have 2 grav tanks though and those are $130 each. I was torn between Custodes and Black Templars and I went Black Templars based on the grav tanks cost I also thought Black Templars looked the coolest.

[@pandasmooth]

proxies ftw

[@Deu5_vult]

For the emprah!

[@alexrowson-brown6568]

Most grav tanks are not from forge world

[@McVilla1N]

Me too. Loved the black templar look

[@trevorbailey1101]

Custodes don’t need the Grav Tanks. They are a nice to have. The plastics kits wreck face.

[@jamesbgood25]

I started Eldar as my first 40k army because at the time, they were the 'high tech' faction. Their bikes, wraiths, on top of the farseers just drew me in. I struggled for soooo many editions because of their playstyle. When 8th came around and I got back into the hobby, I've jumped around factions quite a bit but it's really helped me dial in my preferences. I'm still primarily playing eldar in 10th, BUT my fundamental understanding of the game is so much better from playing stuff like Knights, Space Marines, Tyranids, GSC, and Grey Knights. I do still struggle to memorize my datasheets and abilities but I only get to play once a month nowadays

[@jaclow]

Great points on learning a smaller army compared to option overload with forces like marines

[@Naddabeht]

My first Army was second edition Eldar, and would not have started with them. I went to Space Marines, but you can have a huge collection and still miss tools you need to win. I’ve had Orks, and some models are 20 years old, and not painted. Picked up a Knight Box, and my son started building and painting them. 5 models for 1000 points. Knights or Custodian are the best starters for sure. Cool sit down and chat content. Enjoyed the format.

[@SamusSelf-Destruct]

I recently got into the game aspect of 40K, and I started with Custodes and I love them. I’ve since gotten a bunch of Imperial Knights and Space Marines, but I love my golden boys and girls.

[@GungHoSourdough]

I just got into the hobby and started with the Battle Sisters, it’s been wicked fun despite losing all 4 games I’ve played so far haha

[@masterodungeons4666]

I’ve been bought a significant chunk of Votann for Xmas as a present. I’ve since ordered what I need for a 2k list and now signed up for a tournament in feb because of Steve. So I’m trying to get a 2k Votann list ready for a tournament in under a month. It’s going to be a challenge as I’ve never used them or fought against them

[@jordanbrown4779]

I started with drukhari because it was gifted to me. I hated them haha but I am very grateful. Learning with them forced me to consider movement and objective play. Now I am a proud guard player and loving it

[@ValkeersYT]

I started this hobby in early october... got myself some adepta sororitas because i really like their idea and basic troops... and the idea of managing and using miracle dice... i've finished about 500pts of em... and now they take away the miracle dice... i feel... disheartened. On another note: i really liked taking my time painting my first battle sisters squad. Really proud of how they came out.

[@theicon2125]

I am getting into 40K and while I'm probably going about it the wrong way, I feel like for who I am as a person it works for me. I bought the World Eaters combat patrol box and have them all built up. I love the way they look, when I played some test games the charge and fight phase was my favorite part. But I also bought the Dark Angels Christmas box. This gave me half an army all at once if I were to build The Lion, which I'm not doing right away because I feel like it will be necessary to sub assemble to paint him well. This box is also heavily focused on melee with the knights and ICC but I have more options when I build it out to get ranged units than I do with World Eaters and much more variety to change things up since I have access to the whole Space Marine line.

[@stephen9to5]

I started with nids back in 3rd edition. It taught me very much how to throw assets at the opponent and get them to focus on the wrong units. I sold all my nids to pay for college but want to get back into them for old-time sakes

[@gregeppley9643]

My first army was Imperial Guard bc I liked the tanks. My friends told me it was a harder army to start with but I just loved those models.

[@gamingborger]

mine was tyranid back in 5th, brood of termagant, 5 warriors, tyranid prime. back then i woulda said they're not a first army, now any army can be a first army. i love my bugz

[@Toothandtalon]

I always recommend custodies to start because it’s usually cheaper and it’s a little simpler army to understand. but I honestly recommend just starting with an army you like the look of and enjoy to lore of.

[@peterhilligoss5697]

Thats all the same reasons i chose to play imperial knights.

[@romainvacher3277]

Love the podcast guys ! Lovely to listen to when painting, and such great experiences and opinions to share with us 😊 one little thing I would point out, it seems that sometimes you aren't fully listening to one another, you both are so pationnated that you both want to say something but not really pay attention to what the other is sharing. Appart from that golden content, I will share and keep on watching!

[@timeguy441]

I started with grey knights and I still play and am in love with them

[@MrRudeBert]

Chaos !!. In all their Glory!. 💥💥. They’ve got it all. Take your pick. 💥💥

[@jamiepywell9640]

As a newly starting WE hobbyist I'm already loving the idea of an army without the primarch, I would go the same in deathguard or Tsons like you said it's a lot of pressure onto one model with a huge points cost. Core WE to me bezerkers in rhinos just out for blood.

[@SunShinyReys]

At about 11:10 you speak on not losing the hobby aspect of the game and personally with SMs I say to paint them whatever color or design that you enjoy. It doesn't matter if the rules you're playing represent one thing or another as long as the army can represent what you want it to be.

[@gamingborger]

i always say to start with one of the most common units in whatever faction yer lookin at gettin into [used to also say to work up to 2 troops, an HQ, and a supporting unit after that, but that's cuz i started in 5th edition] and go from there. got a favorite mini yer lookin at? even better. after you get used to that unit, look into getting a character to act as warlord cuz they're important to the game, if you already got that, well now everything is just open to look toward for how you expand. your army, build it how you want. having fun with it is more important than what someone else thinks of it

[@coltondrew2326]

I started with grey knights. Love them, love the lore the look. 80% done painting draigo. 26 more to go haha!!

[@rteishe]

Started with Necrons (late 8th/early 9th), glad i did. I really think theyre a great starter army too. Yeah, they have a lot of datasheets, but they have tools for everything & are not overly complicated to learn. Not as easy as custodes, votaan or grey knights...but certainly not genestealer cults or drukhari level either lol. Also pretty forgiving to paint for newbies...even if a good number of the kits are kind of a nightmare to assemble lol. If i had to start from the beginning again, I'd choose Necrons again in a heartbeat

[@simonyu8838]

I did consider Custodes as my first army when I started collecting late last year but the amount of vehicles that are still Forgeworld-only really turned me off. Gray Knights were also tempting, but I wasn't sure of how their Index rules played and the whole range feels like it's overdue to move to Primaris scale and a lot of the current models have some weird looking poses that don't mix well with Firstborn scale.

[@K4Kendo]

Went from poster boys ultramarine to start collecting admech... If i've only new better at the time. Would probably stop at ultramarine, learn them and the core mechanic well and then move to something different than admech because as much i love their esthetics, the rules and datasheets abilities are daunting to learn ☠️

[@hanzdampf356]

I could listen to the fella on the right all day he radiates knowledge and xp. Wish you all the best till next time

[@bassface1018]

Funny you mention World Eaters as a bad army to start with, I started with 10th and they were my first army, I've loved building and kitbashting them, painting them, and playing them. I do agree about the Angron point, at least as far as him taking up too many points and lists involving him relying on him dealing a lot of hurt AND coming back. I've been enjoying the new grotmas detachment with a big 10 block of terminators and 2 squads of Bloodletter allies instead of the big man, and it feels more consistent.

[@alonsonavarro3959]

I chose battle sisters as my first army…. Painting them sure has been fun for a beginner

[@EverydayEldrad]

Love this format!

[@jimmerding]

I'd say orks are a strong contender. Tactics revolve around waagh which itself is basically "charge everything forward and kill as much as you can". They're also forgiving to paint for being so rough and ready faction. They do have a huge roster though which could be a lot for a new to learn

[@ElGrompho666]

I started out with Drukhari in early 9th and as a new player, they were fairly hard to figure out. Despite the strong rules, it took me quite some time to win a game without getting blown off the board. Currently, I'd argue that Leagues of Votann are one of the easier armies for beginners to pick up. They have only a small but mostly usable unit roster, fairly simple rules and a very straight forward gameplan, so they are pretty great for learning the basics of the game without too much distractions through overcomplicated shenanigans. Sadly, this also means that they currently lack a bit of depths for more experienced players who crave different playstyles, but let's hope the codex and a second release wave will fix that.

[@philgagnon275]

Started with Dark Eldar in 5th edition. Took forever to learn them and how to go up against different armies. Currently my tournament faction is Death Guard. Mostly do Doubles Tournaments (just enjoy them more than singles).

[@cobberhambone9484]

I started with Grey Knights due to low model count, not too many data sheets or kits and the fact that 3 combat patrols gets me a 2000 point army. Playing them is 90% movement phase and they’re hard to kill. Great choice.

[@Saintcelestine2023]

Wow that's interesting. Most people say Space Marines are best to start out. Kind of wish I knew this before I picked Sisters lol. At least I've been playing on TTS and have only bought two units so I can test out some lists and decide. Great stuff. Thank you VT

[@colin_painting_adventure]

They start off by saying play the army that excites you the most. So you have the right army for you.

[@Saintcelestine2023]

@@colin_painting_adventure I'll keep that in mind. Sisters is not a beginner friendly army. It's going to depend if I can stomach the learning curve. Beginning with a starter army and revisiting sisters makes sense to me. My list doesn't even have Saint Celestine in it lol. Couldn't justify the expense because I really wanted a nice balanced list.

[@hodldawg]

Good video. You brought up a lot of points I hadn't considered. I play marines and homebrewed my own chapter so I could do the colors I wanted. I guess there's nothing really keeping me from painting MC or RG in my colors and playing them with UM rules. I never really considered it. I just counted no spec characters as the cost of having my own chapter. Now I have some thinking to do.

[@brianricks7309]

Custodes are a good starter but what about knights? Simple rules for each phase packaged into fewer units, and are points per dollar one of the most affordable lists to fill.

[@JoeSmith-oy3hk]

I agree, but only if you're ready for magnetization. So adaptable with them. The full range and every option at the lowest price.

[@XorsosedutoX]

I have started with Knights. they can overall be cheaper than most factions, and not too hard to paint. Their rules are also simple, and pack a decent punch even against more experienced players. I would say that the downside is that you don't get to learn varied tactics, since you don't have many different units.

[@notforstreams9203]

Chaos Knights! Cheaper overall. Magnetize them, which is easier than any other faction to do allows you to get multiple use out of each kit. Has flavor and character, multiple copies of the same model means fewer sheets to track (I typically run 5 datasheets), deployment is easier, plays the missions well enough. Its easy to have your list all-rounder naturally. I have played or owned most every faction, and I still find this to be one of the easiest to introduce people to. Little bits of paint pops more on a Knight than a marine/squat/elf/ect. edit: Often the only stratagem I use is a reroll, so its less to learn on that end too (Ultimately though, if it works for you, it's not a wrong choice!)

[@mrdelaney4440]

Not played since 3rd edition but just jumped in this week with iron warriors. Havent a clue wether to go range or cc with my legionaires 😂

[@MrGilmo88]

Started with CSM, but never got too much painted. The Trim and bits and bobs are intense. I pivoted to daemons and absolutely love them. Needless to say my shooting phase knowledge isn't fantastic. I agree with Stephen about marines though. There are so many choices you get decision paralysis, even when it comes to painting your army.

[@olafolafsson2755]

Hey there. My unasked advice for your trim problem. drybrush the trim then fill in the colors. very easy and quick method.

[@icklemoo]

@@olafolafsson2755yeah great shout. I did iron warriors for first csm as it was fast to paint like this. My new csm is nightlords so going slower but looking groovy

[@jimmerding]

I'm an ork player. What is this "shooting phase" you speak of? I know about the dakka phase where you miss loads to look cool and brash but I'm interested in this "shooting"

[@knoxminis1211]

I started with Space Marines, and ended up not really liking them as they are just to much of a jack of all trades (okay at everything, but really great at anything). After playing for a while now, I think that the best decision you can make is to choose an army that has some specific schtick. World Eaters will kill in close combat, Tau will shoot you off the board, Orks and Nids can swamp the board in bodies, etc. I totally agree on Custodes. They're my main army and it's just nice to only have so many units that are very durable. And with so few units you can also play faster and learn the game.

[@simonvaughan7798]

My mate and I found space marines had too many options and wargear when we first started. We found necron to be super starter friendly. Easy to paint and play.

[@Thescreamingpizza8030]

I'm going with chaos space marines as my first army. I've just always loved villians.

[@pixelatedshenanigans404]

I think going back I probably would have started with something like Custodes. I don't really like them and long term don't think I would have stuck with them, but it would have helped me get painted and in play faster. I started with Orks and have stuck with them. Don't collect any other armies, love my Orks, have around 5.5k points of them and they give me enough verity that I have four different lists I enjoy playing that all play very differently and I never get bored. And even with all of that there's tons of cool models in the range that I don't own that I would love to get my hands on and I'm getting into some really fun kitbashing. I think this would have been the perfect second army lol but it took my forever to get it from the work bench to the tabletop and there's so much in the range that I want to mess around with that even though I would love to check out other armies I don't have the mental bandwidth for it. I think starting with a smaller army to collect and then getting into Orks as a more long term hobby project after would have been great but as things stand I love my mob of ladz.

[@alt4g]

Grey Knights to get them hooked on teleports and make any other army feel slow

[@jroden06]

My first army was Sisters of Battle and I recommend them if you get religiously fervent for the idea of Nuns with Guns fighting Demons and Heretics. You will need that level of zealotry for all of the trimming and detail you will be doing on every single Battle Sister/Retributor/Dominion/Celestian/Seraphim/etc. because they are the same model with minor variance. Same with the vehicles being a Rhino chassis with church organ pipes and a lobotomized Cherub. Their models look amaIng but definitely take patience to assemble and paint. The payoff is an Army that grows with you. Sisters are as strong as their player, and the ability to predetermine a dice roll and swap it out is as good as an ability can get in a game where dice determine so much. I recommend them if you are seriously considering playing Warhammer for a long time and want an army that will be able to scale with your game knowledge. The more you play, the more you will be able to know the best situations to utilize those Miracles for maximum effect.

[@DistortedCat]

Love this type of content, Steve. As a returning player understanding the rationale behind it helps understand even if you don’t pick a faction you suggest. Would love to see a breakdown of each faction and what style each faction play like.

[@Paranormal-Stupidity]

I started with Necrons, and I think that turned out to be a good choice. They were very forgiving for a new player. If you messed up your positioning or deployment, they could weather enough shooting that it wasn't a total loss. Space Marines are a terrible starter army. They have too many units and GW does everything in their power to make the as uncompetitive as possible.

[@ChristopherDamico-vn1hk]

I still consider myself relatively new especially with the table top. I really wanted to start with the thousand sons because I always love magic but then I read the lore for Dark Angels. The internet convinced me DA was better to start. I think I made the right choice and would do it again but tsons will be my next one.

[@InkBreathingDragon]

I started with Tyranids and feel like I started with the right army for me. Started with monsters and gargoyles and have slowly added around that.

[@abyssbear4296]

Great video as always lads very informative. In my personal opinion I believe you should always build an army specially your first army on the rule of cool. Nothing sucks more than spending 3-6 months building, priming and painting an army just to not love them just because they are “easy” truth of the matter is that warhammer in general both 40k and aos are complex games init of themselves. Its going to take time to learn how to pilot any army no matter how simple some can be. just because knights or maybe Votann are simple to understand (even though they really aren’t) doesn’t mean that they are by any means beginner armys. I always suggest people. Specially people who are having a harder time understanding their armys and the game in general to play smaller games. Thats is the best beginner advice one can have. Take the time to understand phases and your army rule and what your units do one or two at a time. Is the best option. The game isn’t cheap by any means and swapping or adding more armys is never easy. And as always HAVE FUN! Personally when I first started I chose chaos daemons and they where by no means easy but over time and trough many lost matches I learned the ins and out of the faction now they sit as one of my favorite and I love them. Warts and all

[@Hustler_Resources]

I started with Deathwatch in 8th and it was pretty brutal. Was a complicated army to play hah. I have custodes now and would 100% start with them.

[@fallenangelyt1590]

I wish I had come across this, a few days ago. I decided to get into WH40k, and I decided to go with Chaos Space Marines. But after seeing this, I kind of like the Adeptus Custodes.

[@DcClipz1]

I full agree with choosing an elite army rather than me with loads of models, I started with a mates chaos and eventually bought grey knights , I have played one match with them and I am far more confident either way them as I’ve been non stop with the same terminators and purifiers

[@alvinpotthoff1208]

I started in 40K about 2 years ago now. I saw the Tau and really like the robot and alien look. Bought a box, built them up and painted and did not like the army at all. So I would not have bought the army I started with, luckily, I was only 1 box into the build when I determined I did not like them anymore.

[@jegglz3845]

Managed to spend under $500 for a 2k point Dark Angel army i plan to practice with thanks to the inner circle xmas box, typically played Eldar/Orks so will be interesting to have a low model count army.

[@ValyaLoona]

What a great explanation on why space marines are NOT the best starter army. I have so many intercessors and assault ints I don’t use 😂. Luckily I can kit bash both to be other units.

[@kimchi5963]

I started with admech in mid 9th edition. I now have Admech, Custodes, and Tyranids. I cannot recommend admech to a beginner, not due to their difficulty, but due to how expensive they are to build. That paired with being one of the hardest armies to paint due to the very small detailed models with lots of fiddly and spiky bits, I would honestly recommend starting with literally anything else

[@thegreenalternative7475]

Definitely glad I went with Tyranids over Adeptus Mechanicus… mostly for gameplay. I think if I began with Mechanicus, I would have started a new army soon after

[@kyleaulinskas]

Great vid. There was some mic or sound buzz throughout it though which was rough.

[@boopstarbuck8807]

Mr. Box isn’t wearing his normal shmedium shirt. Glad he can finally let the guns breathe a bit.

[@oldgravylegs2458]

I could not help myself, nids all the way, not sure if its a good starter army but i love the models and they have been fun to play with, especially the vangauard onslaught models

[@carlosanton6048]

anyone know why Vanguard Tactics never released a grotmas detachment analysis video for Space Wolves? I know it´s completely unrelated but I´m way too curious about it, as they gave an explanation as to why they didn´t release one for Deamons(the only other faction without a video) but just silence with Space Wolves

[@NerdEagle90]

When it comes to painting, say I paint my Space Marines black, like Raven Wing. Does that mean I am stuck with going the Vanguard Detachment or can I still go a different detachment like Gladius Task Force or Stormlance?

[@MrGilmo88]

You can do whatever you want now. It's more just character selection. Even that is just community pressure more than anything elsr.

[@dumup]

I get distracted easy, so I've never played anything over 1000pts. I also have 3 different armies. I feel guilty for not building up to 2k points.

[@DarthCasus]

I've always suggested Custodes as the easiest entry army. Good for youor money and you have a fairly elite army with few tough units. You can learn a lot of deployment and target priority lessons from them.

[@oile6300]

I started W40k 20 years ago with Ultra Marines and stopped playing after 2 months... end of november last year, i came back and just looked on how to play the different factions and whats the lore /look... and here i am... Black Templars all the way :D I dont give a *beep* about how good they are. I just want a cool looking army with a playstyle i am enjoying. Btw: is there a Black Templar Masterclass planned in the future?

[@codyott1982]

Anything space Marines is a good place to start. Blood angels would have been the best for new people before the codex because they were simple in goals (get it into melee), and allowed you to focus on learning things like positioning, target selection, remembering abilities etc etc etc. After the codex they aren't as beginner friendly. That said, I started with blood angels in 3rd, and have pretty much always stuck to them. However, tenth saw me pick up a Tyranids army as well as a space wolves army (and I'm gonna paint them red, call them "the red wolves"). That said, the best army for a new person is the army they like the best. It's best if they dont choose complicated armies, but if they do, it's not a world ender.

[@SkillzRicosGamerTv]

Create your own Chapter its fun writing the lore for them etc

[@shawnhall9013]

I picked ad mech as my first army. I regret nothing. Made painting the next army a breeze in comparison.

[@dzehliono8320]

I like how you guys completely ignored/forgot about the space wolves grotmas detachment lol

[@erikbraun473]

I started back in 6th edition with Necrons. They were a great starting army. Easy to build and paint and the lore is really cool and fun. In 9th edition I built Adeptus Mechanicus. I love them but if I were starting today they'd be a terrible army to begin with. They're expensive, have bizarre unit choices, and are fiddly to build. I feel like it's a great example of "pick what you love but..." Because if I started with an army like Adeptus Mechanicus I doubt I'd have ended up keeping up with the hobby.

[@zachmarwig8699]

I have been gathering so many orks. I have not won a single game yet. I want to buy a new army to "learn how to play" but I am overwhelmed with choices cause every army is so cool. I either need a list that is beginner ork friendly or I need to commit to an elite army. My close friends play Custodes and Voltaan, so maybe I should commit to Gray Knights or Death Guard?

[@jeremiegartner464]

Desth guard or wait until the grey knight refresh.

[@mikkelkirketerp4884]

Chaos or imperial knights. Spam wardogs/armigers

[@miniaturemiddleearth7376]

Custodes were my first army during 8th and I can’t recommend them enough. All the benefits you’ve already mentioned plus it’s a very small and easy army to transport which I find can often be overlooked. Had a few armies since but currently in the process of revitalising my custodes for some more games!

[@Syst3m04]

Honestly, I think Custodes would be a great starting army. Relatively cheap to build (compared to other armies). Solid fairly tanky units that can be somewhat forgiving, and well rounded gameplay.

[@piotrjeske4599]

​@@Syst3m04with all the fw needed l wouldn't describe them as cheap. Two calladius and 12 winged dudes costs A LOT.

[@Syst3m04]

@ I mean if you want to play meta sure, but this and grey knights, you can get a fairly cheap ay. Grey knights you guy 3 combat patrols, get a character and you’re good to go.

[@EXTERNALFelipeFrancellino]

loved this format, great content, wish we had more of these "how to get ppl into the hobby" type of videos

[@davidcanty7903]

Space Marines are not a army, it is a subscription service.

[@TrepTheSnake]

Good video! However, if you don't mind a bit of criticism, Micro/head placement could be improved for the leftmost person (sorry new to to the channel and unfamiliar with the names(.

[@Pestilencemage]

...what if I had blood angel assault marines, and space wolves intercessors exc. Sooooo you're simply not a unified force but you have SOMETHING of the correct codex chapter rules you're using. My sisters army is many orders within my "parish of redemption" overseen by Vahl herself as it's penitent crusade forms.